Trust isn’t something given to you automatically—it’s earned! The best way to do that, especially in a professional setting, is to consistently do quality work, respect your client’s boundaries, and fulfill your promises. After all, it’s hard to work with someone who always goes back on their word and doesn’t give a flip about what you value. And if you break that trust, well… don’t be surprised if you’re never hired again.

Redditor u/Frosty-Barracuda-556 turned to the AITA online community for a verdict on a delicate situation that happened at his house. He revealed that he recently fired his babysitter after she brought her dog to his house, unannounced. Scroll down for the full story.

Bored Panda has reached out to u/Frosty-Barracuda-556 via Reddit. We’ll update the article once we hear back from him.

Dogs are absolutely lovely animals, but not every parent wants them near their babies

Image source: 30thte (not the actual photo)

A dad turned to the internet to ask if he was wrong to fire the babysitter after she broke his trust

Image source: Sandsun (not the actual photo)

Image source: Frosty-Barracuda-556

The babysitter quickly realized that she had messed up

There is no substitute for good and timely communication. It helps get everyone on the same page and it sets everyone’s expectations. A professional babysitter who values their job will always ask the parents’ permission before doing anything drastic like bringing over a pet. Look, we’re huge fans of dogs and cats, but that doesn’t mean that everyone is!

You might have the cutest pooch in the world, but you’d still need to get explicit permission to bring it to your clients’ homes, instead of doing it secretly. The main concern is that the animal might accidentally or intentionally harm the child. The odds might be low if the pet is well-trained and has a docile character, however, that’s not your call to make as the babysitter: the parents will decide whether they want their child interacting with your animal, especially when they’re not around.

That aside, there are other considerations to keep in mind. For example, the child might be allergic to dogs or cats (even if they’re super cute!). Or their parents might be, meaning you’ve just unleashed a giant floof into their homes. It’s a sneezing marathon just waiting to happen. Meanwhile, other parents might like to keep their homes extremely tidy and don’t want pets do shed their hair (or do other things) inside.

But at the core of it all lies a very simple issue—it’s someone’s home and they want to feel like they’re in charge. A guest wouldn’t bring over their pet without asking. Why should a babysitter? Someone who blatantly disregards your opinion and doesn’t even raise the question is clearly someone who doesn’t have much respect for you.

Image source: Prostock-studio (not the actual photo)

It’s difficult to build trust when there’s hardly any communication about sensitive issues

Sure, there’s a chance that the babysitter might have made an innocent mistake, but—here’s the rub—why didn’t she bring the dog with her when she came over to the house? That’s probably the biggest mystery here. She only brought her dog over when the parents had left. If it hadn’t been for the cameras in the house (which she knew about), they wouldn’t have realized that an animal was interacting with their six-month-old child. [Cue parental protective instincts.]

It can sometimes be quite difficult to distinguish between quality and iffy babysitters. The best thing to do would be to rely on someone’s professional reputation. For instance, if your friends recommend someone, they’re probably someone you’ll trust to take care of your kid more than some random stranger. However, as the redditor showed, even sitters that come with recommendations aren’t perfect.

In those cases, it’s best to meet with the sitter and talk to them. See if they’re a good fit for your child. And always, always, always trust your instincts. If your gut is telling you that someone won’t work out even if they look great on paper, then you should either do a test-run or look for somebody else.

Iamge source: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)

Parents have to find a sitter whom they’re fully comfortable with

Some other ways that can help you gauge how reliable a sitter is include seeing how your child reacts to them. If your kid is far from enthusiastic when the babysitter comes over or they don’t look cared for when they leave, it might be better to hire another professional.

Some other red flags, according to ‘Care,’ include a lack of communication and an indifference towards the instructions that you leave behind. Now, this doesn’t mean that the parents are always right. It’s not all black-or-white. Some moms and dads are incredibly scared to leave their kids in the care of strangers, so they have lists upon lists of instructions for them to follow and obsessively check in with them. Other parents might be on the other end of the spectrum: they might be very uncommunicative and break their own promises about what time they’ll get back.

Meanwhile, not all children are the darling little angels that their parents think they are. However, a professional babysitter will always remain professional. And good communication is the foundation for that! You definitely shouldn’t be bringing any doggos around before getting the green light, no matter how sweet, cuddly, and wholesome they might be.

Image source: AnnaStills (not the actual photo)

The dad shared some more information with the readers

Here’s how the internet reacted to the babysitting drama

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